At the start of this year, one of the goals I set for myself was a book reading challenge.
It goes like this: Read at least two books per month
'Read' includes audio and includes the following sources:
- Traditional paper-based books - as available in bookshops or via Amazon for example
- Digital reader books - such as Kindle books and eBooks
- Audio books - such as those available via Audible and audiobooks.com
- Video streamed books - some classic self-improvement books are surprisingly available through YouTube
I will update this post each month with my progress, to share the material and also to hold myself to account 😉
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Why not share your reading challenges or recommendations in the comments section and then we can keep each other motivated...
February 2015
Book reading challenge goal status 6/4 - Yes I am ahead of target 🙂
The Miracle Morning - Hal Elrod
Format - Audio Book
Key Idea:
The core idea is outrageously simple - start your day in the right way and all the rest will follow...motivation, success, personal transformation even. Bold claims indeed. But guess what...Hal Elrod might just be right! Once in a while, a book comes along that is a game changer or mindset shifter and for me this might just be up there with Covey's & 7 Habits as a personal development masterpiece.
I don't want to go into enormous detail but the so-called Life S-A-V-E-R-S outlined in the book build on many of the ingredients of success spanning...well as far back as you want to go really. The promise is to have a morning routine from 6 to 60 minutes that will set you up perfectly for your day...
The Property Voice Insight:
You may gather by now that I have been impacted by this book. The SAVERS (silence, affirmations, visualisation, exercise, reading & scribing) collect together many time-honoured, if less well applied, personal success ingredients. An easy listen and Hal's personal story is inspiration enough - the guy was dead for 6 minutes after a horrific car crash, was told he would not walk again, had brain damage...it is an amazing story in itself. Over time, Hal rebuilt his life and did so by applying what became known as The Miracle Morning.
I had experimented with many aspects of the SAVERS over the years but failed to find a system that allowed me to make them stick in my routine. The Miracle Morning (TMM) helps to do this and I am well into my own '30-day Miracle Morning Challenge' - drop me a mail if you want to join my personal accountability Facebook group, it's called Miracle Morning Kickstart. As a result of TMM I have found a routine that works for me, am getting up much earlier, have managed to stick with disciplines like meditation where I could not before and have uncovered a whole bunch of apps and tools to aid my learning & development (note: I found some of these through the book resources and some myself).
Conclusion - must read!
100 Property Investment Tips - Rob Dix, Rob Bence & Me! (OK, I was more a contributor than an author...please don't sue me Rob & Rob)
Format - Kindle
Key Idea:
This is a new approach in this sector - a collection of property investment tips from around 30 property investors. There is a large number of tips contributed personally by the authors, co-founders of The Property Hub Rob Dix & Rob Bence, along with a large number from individual property investors. I even managed to have 3 out of 4 of mine condensed into 1 with some clever editing. (I share the other one in this post). The tips are assembled into different sections, such as strategy, lettings and so on, with each tip getting it's own chapter for easy navigation. As a result of the multiple contributors there is a wide variety of views, opinion and insight within a single publication.
The Property Voice Insight:
Perhaps the easiest way to share my insight is to show you the review I left on Amazon for the book:
The good guys finish first once again!
This book is a little different to the many others...it's a great 'coffee table' or 'meeting room' read, as it is broken down into bite-sized chunks, with a short chapter per tip. The great thing about property is that people can follow different paths and still achieve success...within reason! This book of tips helps to share the many different facets and perspectives of property investing, with contributions from many real-world property investors...including me! OK, so I am a little biased but only for the one tip that I contributed...that still leaves ninety nine more that I can learn from and appreciate myself, so I am not biased there.
Well done Rob & Rob - another great contribution to the improvement of property investing knowledge.
Enough said!
Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill
Format - YouTube Audio
Key Idea:
The title suggest that this is a book about achieving wealth and accumulating wealth and it certainly can be applied this way. However, the author is at pains to explain that 'rich' means more than financial or economic riches and includes other 'riches'like knowledge, character, community causes, etc. What is fascinating about the book is that it was written originally in 1937 and yet is still selling today. The reason why is that it outlines a success formula that the author uncovered by researching over twenty years into the lives of successful people, beginning with Andrew Carmegie, who at that time was the world's richest man. The book breaks success down into 13 key components of personal mastery that lead to success. Hill s credited with making more millionaires than any one else in history, so it makes to hear what he has to say!
The Property Voice Insight:
I have at least 3 different versions of this book. A paperback, tucked away somewhere that I read in my twenties, a Kindle version recently acquired and now the abridged audio commentary I referenced above. As I had read the book some years back, I decided to trial the YouTube audio version, which is in fact a summary of the book along with snippets from the author himself. Tip: the YouTube version is only 2 hours long and can be listened to whilst working as I did.
I have to admit that my biggest recollection of the book from my first read was that of 'auto-suggestion'or 'self-talk' as it is now more commonly known. However, this is not a book on self-talk and is in fact so much more...I only wish I had paid as much attention last time around as this! The fact that it was written in 1937 should not put you off by any means, as many of the success principles are equally applicable and valid today. I love the concept of the 'mastermind group', which I have been applying a lot of late without really recalling it's origins. Desire, persistence, imagination and intuition (the sixth sense) all get covered along with many more topics.
I have heard some say that they did not enjoy reading this book, I don't recall how I 'felt' the first time around but somehow this time I was scribbling notes furiously like a sponge...eager to retain the info more directly this time. I would have to say that I did enjoy it this time around for sure, perhaps it was the fact that I heard a condensed version by audio, who knows?
I imagine if you are in anyway into self-improvement that you might already have read this boo, if you have then I can recommend this audio version as a 'sub-conscious' background listen. If you have not read this book...where have you been; it's definitely worth a go.
HMO Property Success - Nick Fox
Format - Kindle
Key Idea:
I seem to have concentrated on books that 'did exactly what was written on the tin' this month! Nick Fox is a very experienced investor, specialising in HMOs and here he takes us through all the steps to consider if we would like to follow suit. In all honesty, in such a niche area of property investing, this book is quite simply a must read. I don't need to go into immense detail here, as it is presented in such a logical and common sense way for people with no prior experience to pick up and follow.
The Property Voice Insight:
Once again, why reinvent the wheel I say, here is the review I left for the book on Amazon:
A thorough and very much a common sense approach to HMO investing. This is refreshing when so many people try and sell or even try to buy the 'sizzle' of huge cash flow and recycled funds within weeks. A more pragmatic approach can yield a more sustainable business model as Nick outlines. With this book as a guide you will not go too far wrong.
If you in any way are considering investing in HMOs (houses of multiple occupation), then this is certainly essential reading to help prepare the way - I believe I described it as the HMO Bible in the review above.
January 2015
Book reading challenge goal status 2/2 - Yay!
The 4-Hour Work Week - Timothy Ferriss
Format: Audio Book
Key Idea:
This is a radical book that challenges the long-held belief that the traditional 9-5 is the only / best way to earn a living. Working in four hours a week (a metaphor), means we are free to do what we want to do with our lives and gives prominence to the term 'digital nomad'. Travelling the world, learning new things, serving others are all now possible to Tim Ferriss and his followers through a range of productivity hacks, remote working and 'muse businesses', among many ideas shared in this comprehensive resource-packed book.
The Property Voice Insight:
To live exactly in the mode of Tim Ferris as outlined in detail in the book may be at one end of the spectrum and therefore might not appear to be that 'realistic' to the masses...yet. I have no doubt that there is a tribe of 'digital nomads' that have adopted the advice and taken the plunge...I even know some myself! However, even if the ideal, as set out in the book, may at first appear out of reach to us, there are many aspects of the book that can be adopted into our lives to improve them and make us more productive. Virtual assistants, less frequent email-checking, 'dreamlining' and a lite packing list are just some of the take always that I am already adopting. If nothing else it should make us rethink how we work and allow us to reconsider our 'work-life balance' in a newly enlightened way.
Terrible Estate Agent Photos - Andy Donaldson
Format: Hardback
Key Idea:
Well...it's a book of terrible photographs taken by estate agents... 🙂
The Property Voice Insight:
Great for the reception / coffee table. Funny, stupid and downright bizarre at times...these were all photos taken to include in real property listings. Horses in doorways, upside-down photos, pictures of a neighbour's garden and images that would be more at home in an episode of CSI make for an interested...ahem...'read'. Oh, in a 'short month', such as January where I was hurtling down a ski-slope, it still counts toward my goal 😉